Thanksgivings

Luke and I traveled to Sioux Falls for Thanksgiving again this year.

For the record, Sioux Falls is in South Dakota. I am asked constantly. Most people want to guess Iowa (maybe thinking of Sioux City) or North Dakota (not sure why). It was actually Connecticut's turn for Thanksgiving and Sioux Falls' turn for Christmas, but because we were delinquent in buying our plane tickets (and we couldn't see spending $1,000 to get to CT when we could get to SD for $200 or so), we decided that they would be switched.

On the way out, we ended up having to stay in Minnesota for the night because the roads were so bad. Really bad. Even for this New England girl and her Midwest plains husband.

We finally arrived at Luke's mom's (Kathy's) house on Thanksgiving Day around 11 o'clock in the morning. She had the table all set already, and turkey, mashed potatoes and squash already cooking. Unfortunately, the only picture I took was at the table (before the food or the people).

Ready to be filled with food

After a great meal, we saw an afternoon showing of Enchanted. It was very cute.

Then there was pumpkin pie for dessert. Mmm. The rest of the night we mostly spent relaxing and watching football.

Friday afternoon we got to have lunch with Luke's dad and sisters. We played Uno, and engaged in much silliness; which (besides a whipped cream fight) involved the four of us lying on the floor imagining what it would be like to walk on the ceiling.

The whipped cream fight

That night we joined our newlywed friends Nick and Beth for dinner with their (Beth's biological, Nick's step-) three-year old daughter Emily, and Nick's brother Ben. It was the first time Luke or I had met Emily, and she was a riot. It was fun to see their home after having Nick and Ben stay with us to help Luke shoot his student film, and nice for me to be able to get to know them a little bit better.

Saturday was the big Thanksgiving at Luke's Aunt Dawn and Uncle Jim's farm. It is the farm that Kathy and her brothers and sisters grew up on. I wish that I had taken more pictures, but the one thing I was sure to get a shot of was the moose that had somehow found its way to South Dakota (previously unbeknownst to me, moose do not usually live in South Dakota)! The poor thing was pretty sickly looking and no one knows how it got there or what will be done with it. It had been found one day in a field full of cows. The owner of the land moved the cows out of there, so now the moose has the field all to himself.

The poor sick moose

Amy, one of Luke's cousins, needed to take some pictures for a photography class for school, so she bravely ventured over the fence to snap a few closer shots.

Amy and the moose

It is fun to be around Luke's family because there are so many cousins. This time I was finally able to meet a cousin who I hadn't meant before-his cousin Todd. The cousins range in age from 12 (Siri, Danielle, and Nathan-although Danielle and Nathan will be 13 on Dec. 12th) to mid-30s (I'm not sure of Todd's exact age), and there are a total of 13. Two were not there-Greg is the cousin I have never met, and Tim is in the Navy.

On the way back into town, we stopped at house that was lit up in order to raise money for the Make-a-Wish foundation. It's one of those houses that sync the lights with the music. I can't imagine how much work goes into that! Just a warning-the video is LOUD.


Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Share Photos - Free Video Hosting

Sunday morning we left for Chicago again, this time with better weather.

Finally, here are some things I am thankful for:

• the relative stability of my life (emotionally, relationally, etc.)
  
• my amazing husband
• my great family
• my loving family-in-law (I differentiate not because I am less thankful for them, but because they are really two very different things to be thankful for: my family just happened to get me, but they have loved me for 25 years-or less, if they weren't born 25 years ago-,* whereas my family-in-law has only known me for a matter of a year or more, but they were not just stuck with me, they chose to welcome me into their family. You see? Other differences exist, but hopefully you see my point.)
  
• my wonderful friends
• a safe trip to Sioux Falls and back
• that I am done with class until January
• my new fuzzy bathrobe
• coffee
• desserts
• my husband's cooking
• heat in my apartment, and thermal underwear

That's just the beginning. There are many more things I am thankful for, but this entry is just long enough already. But, just one more thing-it was just about a year ago today that I started this blog! Time flies.

I hope that you all had a wonderful, safe and happy Thanksgiving.

*I'm really not sure about the grammar right there, but hopefully you get the effect I am going for...